NIGHTWISH Kicks Off World Tour In Los Angeles; Video Footage Available

Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH kicked off their world tour this past Saturday, January 21 at the 6,000-capacity Gibson Ampitheater in Universal City. The Universal City concert — which was reportedly attended by between 3,000 and 4,000 fans, some of whom travelled from as far away as Australia — was the biggest NIGHTWISH show production ever on North American soil and strictly a one-off — there will be no U.S. tour until later in 2012.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Finlandia (Jean Sibelius cover)
02. Storytime
03. Wish I Had an Angel
04. Amaranth
05. Scaretale
06. The Siren
07. Slow, Love, Slow
08. I Want My Tears Back (with Troy Donockley)
09. The Crow, The Owl And The Dove (with Troy Donockley)
10. The Islander (with Troy Donockley) (acoustic version)
11. Nemo (with Troy Donockley) (acoustic version)
12. Last Of The Wilds (with Troy Donockley)
13. Planet Hell
14. Song Of Myself
15. Last Ride of the Day

Encore:

16. The Poet And The Pendulum
17. Over The Hills And Far Away (Gary Moore cover) (with Troy Donockley)
18. Imaginaerum

NIGHTWISH played a "secret" gig last Thursday night (January 19) under the name RUBBER BAND OF WOLVES at the Key Club in West Hollywood, California.

"Imaginaerum", the first album in four years from NIGHTWISH, sold 12,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 27 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, 2007's "Dark Passion Play", opened with 11,000 units to land at No. 84.

"Dark Passion Play" has sold 134,000 copies in the U.S. so far, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

"Imaginaerum" was certified gold in Germany earlier this month for sales in excess of 100,000 copies.

The effort entered the official chart in Finland at position No. 1 and has already been certifield triple platinum in the country after shifting more than 60,000 units.

Note: The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) in Finland has revised the sales requirements for albums to reach platinum status in the country from the pre-2010 level of 30,000 to the current 20,000.

"Imaginaerum" was released in North America on January 10 via Roadrunner Records.